Patients tricked into making online appointments, Bach Mai Hospital issues urgent notice

According to the announcement of Bach Mai Hospital, recently, a woman in Hanoi wanted to take her child to see a doctor so she searched online for information "Make an appointment at Bach Mai Hospital". She clicked on the "Make an appointment" advertisement box and a website with a hotline number appeared.

She called this number to talk to the "operator" and wanted to make an appointment for her child at Bach Mai Hospital, and was instructed that "a staff member who added her as a friend on Zalo would send a confirmation message". Next, she received a QR code of the account number requesting a transfer of 600,000 VND for the appointment.

The next morning, she took her child to Bach Mai Hospital for a scheduled check-up, but the medical staff told her that her name was not in the system. When she reviewed the Zalo messages, the previous exchanges with the "call center" had been revoked and she could not contact the staff who confirmed the appointment.

Hospital representatives warn people to be alert when searching for information, making appointments and going to the doctor to avoid being scammed. They should look for official information pages of hospitals and medical facilities to contact and find out information.

Every day, Bach Mai Hospital receives about 2,000 - 2,500 calls and appointments via online. This method helps to spread out the examination time during the day, patients can freely choose the time frame and suitable specialist. The hospital arranges staff to work in shifts, go to work early and welcome, open some examination tables for 5 - 6 hours to serve patients, mainly those from far away provinces.